corta765

Bills were originally scheduled for 8 games last year before NE got flexed to 4:25. Every one of the big 4 games at home (KC/BAL/PHI/CIN) is primetime and NE is MNF. Could be wrong but 9 games not a 1:00pm is still really sizable and with KC being the only "Western" team you don't have the need for 4pm West Coast games. 1:00 pm home game fans won't be super thrilled with 5 games at night or 4:00pm lol

The time has come for my official Bills schedule prediction and breakdown as we are two weeks out. The schedule will be coming out on May 14th in the evening, but I would expect that the NFL starts dropping some marquee matchups including the international games in the week or so leading up. Additionally the last 2-3 days prior usually provide a few leaks which the Bills have been apart of. The Bills had a very heavy non 1pm schedule last year which was a bit inflated due to facing the NFC West which saw 3 of the four games either at night or 4pm. This year I would expect the Bills to be in similar as Josh has ascended into must watch football and the Bills are a premier team in the NFL. Mike North in his schedule interview with Sal & Matt Bove indicated as much and Josh is now a major draw personally (as we saw last year with the Bills NE home game moved to 4pm). In the interview Mike did note the Bills not being in the holiday rotation the last two years and probably being due for one as fellow top dogs like KC & BAL both have had Xmas duty & thanksgiving. In past years I have averaged 2-3 games correct along with nailing a lot of the night games. I have also had a lot of the opponents within a week or so of the actual schedule. I am not perfect by any stretch, but I look at prior matchups with non divisional opponents and factor that in along with other trends like did we open on the road or home last year as that can flip yearly (not always). One of the things I also consider is that a premier matchup game like Baltimore is just as valuable for ratings in the 4:25 national window as it is as a primetime game (hint hint). The other thing is the NFL likes to schedule top dogs like the Bills vs a team like Carolina who seems to be turning the corner or even New England. Speaking of the division the Bills in 2020 were on primetime a lot but had no divisional games so it is not a prerequisite that they are primetime vs division. With this all said here is my prediction: *thanksgiving is a 1pm Sunday game. I listed the holidays so people knew when they were So looking over the schedule the Bills would have 5 night prime time games, one Saturday flex opportunity, and one game abroad + BAL at 4:25 nationally. The NFL actually could still flex Buffalo into a primetime game here if they wanted to although I think that only happens if the division improves. Of the big four homes games (BAL-KC-PHI-CIN) I think NBC finally gets KC v BUF back after years on CBS 4:25 while CBS gets BAL BUF at 4:25 as a consolation. PHI feels like a SNF game and CIN goes on Xmas vs BUF as I see the NFL looking to max ratings for that game. Networks cannot fully protect games but they can make requests of what they would like and the NFL is pretty fair with that and rotating games within their TV partners. Speaking of Xmas their is a solid source on twitter (CJ_Cagg1023) who came out yesterday saying the Bills play Xmas day and it is the regular season finale. He has been quiet good in years prior with leaks that were legit so I would start prepping for a holiday Bills game. The road schedule is far weaker then home and only Houston or Atlanta feel like a real chance of being at night. I think at Miami is one of those December Saturday flex games so if Miami is decent we get put in there. I honestly think New England may be the team that gets a primetime division game with Buffalo, with the Bills hosting but the Pats having the finale which could be flexed. One thing Mike North noted was the Bills the last two years had stacks of primetime games all at once and the NFL may look at a more spread out approach, No promises but I admittedly built my schedule with that factoid. Finally the Bills have liked with McD having a strong home schedule late season which is why 3 of the last 5 games are home.

Proving why if the Bills had drafted one to two WRs in 2023 and again in 2024 they may have struck gold. The drafting of Shakir was the definition of doubling down when you had luxury as that draft we had just lost in 13 seconds and the offense at WR felt so good. Guess what you were still willing to make a move and it now has paid off in spades.

It is slightly exhausting that the idea of giving Josh quality cheap good WRs with major upside is not allowed. Maybe some of us like the idea that Josh is not making insane throws 24/7 and giving him a bit more help that is not a major cap issue would be a good idea. The team that won the SB has an awesome young WR besides AJ and was just as dangerous as BUF offensively if not more.

Which I agree with. The point which WGR made and also is 100% right is there was a good 2-3 year stretch where some truly good talented WRs came in and were available... and the Bills only made a move when their backs were against the wall (Keon) when they could've been aggressive to double down in the draft with another guy OR been aggressive for someone like Brian Thomas who they absolutely could've went and got. I understand not moving picks for DK even if he was a dream fit. But this offense with Brian Thomas or Ladd etc.. feels much different then it does with Keon.

The Eagles also have two incredible WRs including one who is beast all pro. The point with the WR is it can make Josh's life easier if you have some real talent. Buffalo punted on drafting WR for years and then last year moved back in a draft they should have moved up... WHILE also trading with KC for a WR that proceeded to burn Buffalo in the playoffs. No one is denying the Bills defense desperately needed more beef and Beane has done that in spades. I agree with you that it was a huge need and it would be welcome for the defense to stop allowing 30 pts a game in playoff games. There is also a world though where the Bills were more proactive before the Coleman pick to help strength the WR corp and it didn't happen. After Shakir the remaining pass catching group is C+ maybe B- type guys.

Yea he is absolutely fantastic. I hope JJ gives him some stability for a while so we can see what he really can do without constant turnover. 100%. McVay also did the rare thing after losing the SB and asked BB what he did to beat him and what weaknesses he had. Vast majority of people are too prideful and that was a big thing to help him grow I thought.

McVay & Shanny though are a league of their own. They both have had far more success and their window dressing has evolved over the years whereas some of the others like McDaniel's haven't. McVay I actually think is the best of all of them as he has won big with two different QBs now and turned the roster over multiple times. Shannys failures in the big games are a real mark despite the fact he is a really good mind and had similar winning. But they are the exception to the rule and I think many of their coaches who move on are lesser minds that try to do the same but just don't have the same chops.

I've usually found a nice nap in the mid afternoon 2-4ish range helps really make the weekend

My hottest take actually is the Bills with John Butler still as GM never would've had a drought longer than 5 years. That firing/loss was maybe the single biggest domino of the entire drought.

Ralph Wilson was cheap with coaches and mgmt, he was not cheap with players especially after the mid 80s. Ralph was a salesman though and signings like TO were for tickets while it was a boost lineup wise. The greatest sin for Ralph was his refusual pay his org and it cost him dearly post Butler especially. Look at the org chart from Polian through Butler and how many good NFL minds were here. Ralph was selfish and wouldn't pay as it was his way or the highway and once that talent left he couldn't get it back

It use to be like March, then moved to early April, then late April, now it seems they have found their sweet spot in mid May. The attention given to all of the network partners and marquee games has made it a very complex rubix cube. It use to be 34 SNF/MNF games to figure out and the rest was either 1 pm or 4pm. If you are not in even 1 primetime game these days your team reallly is awful.

Prepare for it and I would expect Ireland.

Correct Buffalo is not going to be losing a home game overseas this year

Not sure that Miami wants to play a 2nd straight year on the road up north on thanksgiving. Could see them being really mad about that. The convenience of 1pm was nice, but it meant your team was trash which we were forever so no. I do not miss that at all.

The one which has been confirmed on why the Bills didn't get many primetime games at home during the drought is the stadium is a complete pain to wire up for a national broadcast and with the team not very good it was easier to keep them on the road if it was at night. I think the Pegula's did pay for some updates as the team improved to help that a bit. I also know the Bills in the drought begged for 1 pm games as the fans came as far as Binghamton so it was a better drive.

Listen to it in full and my early schedule thoughts are on point: -Bills in 6 primetime games & in total 9 national window games -Bills are playing on Christmas and possibly the night Thanksgiving game or Black Friday -Ireland is a real possibility Found it interesting that he said they may spread the Bills primetime games out instead of clumping them like last year.

Basically because of Josh there isn't in a single team in the other two divisions close to what he does for BUF and that raised me to the point I can't put the AFCE last as the other two divisions don't have a team of the Bills caliber. Otherwise completely agree. I can see the NFCS swapping with the NFCW. It is not being talked about enough how much talent SF has bled, the Rams roster is better but Stafford is older, the Hawks are doing things... not good things but things, and the Cards seem stuck in the middle. For a division that was the cream of the crop I can see the NFCS passing them for 3rd best in the NFC.

I like this as a ranking question. I would go as followed: 1. NFC East (SB champs, NFC title finalist, DAL you never know, ignore NYG) 2. NFC North (1-4 probably most talent of all divisions, but can't put ahead of PHI-WSH combo) 3. AFC North (Lamar & Burrow are great, PIT is consistently decent, ignore CLE) 4. AFC West (Curious if division finally steps up vs KC) 5. NFC West (Could see this division falling down a lot more this year) 6-8 Pick Your Order: AFC East (Josh best QB of all and Tua probably 2nd best so raises the boats) AFC South (Stroud is still decent & T-Law has had moments) NFC South (Baker has a nice home & maybe Penix otherwise yikes)

lol. Actually I thought he was pretty solid for PIT last year and it was a major mistake to move to Russ as Fields is a more dynamic player given his running ability. Had they kept him in I actually think they would've won the division which they pissed away. But no outside of going to Sean McVay or Bruce Arians who seemingly can fix nearly any QB that comes their way to being pretty respectable, I think Tyrod will be back to starting my mid season. As my uncle once said the Jets have forever played for headlines the Giants play for titles. The Jets post Namath have had blips but nothing truly substantial to build with AND the moment they get remotely decent they go big instead of staying competent and calculated.

The Jets are where the Bills were in the drought. They have tried everything (bigger and better too) with no change in result. It starts with the owner meddling too much and it truly is hard to see it changing until otherwise. IF they actually come out of that darkness no one will really predict it as much as it will happen because every other indicator says there is nothing to make you believe otherwise.

Really like your perspective so wanted to add some discourse: Miami- They have basically been a .500 team 5 years now. IF Tua is healthy and at his best they can win 11, but like you said they have a lot of whole and Grier has biffed it hard as GM. My question to you is if they take a half step back and go 7-10 do they move on from McDaniel too? At times he is brilliant and other times seems like a one trick pony. They remind me of the Bills with Tyrod where you knew the floor and ceiling was in the middle and with good talent and luck they could be a playoff team, but they were never a real threat. If I was a Phins fan not sure how excited I'd be. Jets- Honestly I am not very sold on Glenn or the Jets. The defense thrived under Saleh and has not looked good before or after. They seem to have a lot of holes all over and defensive performance varies year to year even if you have a solid defense. I am not sure the Jets win more then 6 games although they are closer in them as Glenn shows more competency in game mgmt decisions. Maybe you could tell me the greatest strength of their roster, because outside of Wilson & Sauce they seem pretty barren? Patriots- Vrabel as a coach is big because he will create a better culture and game mgmt then they had last year. I love that you said filling holes does not necessarily mean improvement. It reminds me of the 2021 offseason where the Pats spent a ton of money but did it truly make them that much better. Milton is legit but the remainder are older formerly talented guys like Banks & Landry. Vrabel will certainly get the best out of them, but they are more likely a band aid then the actual remedy. I wouldn't be surprised if Diggs goes 900-1000 yards and has a solid year... it also really doesn't matter if Maye can't take a step into the next level. The kid def showed flashes and NE has to have the highest ceiling of the 3 AFC division foes given the unknown of Maye. I think their ability to hit in this draft 3-4 true starters honestly means more to them then a playoff appearance. That mixed with Maye truly growing unlocks a far bigger future.

I have thought on this long and hard. The safe answer to me is Miami because right now I think their offense is better and Tua is better than Maye. In the NFL better offenses see better outcomes then a good defense. The Patriots are going to improve and their defense is to me 2nd best in division at this point. So much hinges on Maye taking a real step and if they can add some true talent to the offense. The Dolphins have been a team floating around .500 for a few years now (by a game or two either way) so nothing is saying they move much from there even if they are 10-7. But New England is a very attractive darkhorse playoff bet to me.

I am not disagreeing on the $$$ piece, but NFL fans are fiercely loyal and protective of their teams games. Even if with an 18th game it is neutral site game for everyone, that is a potential home game being sacrificed every other year. The league already has fans feeling the games are rigged, refs suck, the league doesn't care about the actual cites supporting the teams etc... nothing about an 18th game is in the best interest of the US fans or the game itself. At some point the golden goose gets kicked and you have a very very hard time putting it back together if at all. I hope it doesn't come to that as I love the NFL, but the true unique elements of the sport (like scarcity of games and primetime games having some true value) are close to fading and that is not a good thing.

I think the 18th game which will force the season another week longer, addtl bye, and starting the NFL labor day weekend is the breaking point. The NFL is truly underestimating how many families labor day use that as a vacation/party weekend and how many college fans use it as the starting point for that season as virtually every CFB team plays. Also the NFL's insistence on making more games global which will eventually make every team abroad each season is not helping feelings for US fans.